Opinion | Myanmar’s Rohingya crisis is moving backwards. Here’s how to resolve it

  • Regional powers, including China and Asean, must help ensure Kofi Annan’s Rakhine Advisory Commission recommendations are met
  • The author, formerly at the UN and now Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, visited Myanmar recently

Rohingya refugees walk with their belongings after crossing the Naf river from Myanmar into Bangladesh in 2017. Photo: AFP
Myanmar’s Rohingya crisis is sliding dangerously backwards. The denial of civil rights, a massive land grab and an upsurge in armed fighting undermine any real hope for change.
Despite reports that some Rohingya refugees have returned to Myanmar, the suggestion that more will follow stands in stark contrast to what I witnessed recently when visiting the areas from which they fled. International solidarity with these stateless people needs a fundamental rethink. If we succeed to only administer the crisis, we will fail to ever resolve it.
Print option is available for subscribers only.
SUBSCRIBE NOW
Copyright © 2025 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.